Habakkuk 1:4 (DRB)

Passage

Therefore the law is torn in pieces, and judgment cometh not to the end: because the wicked prevaileth against the just, therefore wrong judgment goeth forth.

Nearby Context

Habakkuk 1:2 How long, O Lord, shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear? shall I cry out to thee suffering violence, and thou wilt not save?

Habakkuk 1:3 Why hast thou shewn me iniquity and grievance, to see rapine and injustice before me? and there is a judgment, but opposition is more powerful.

Habakkuk 1:4 Therefore the law is torn in pieces, and judgment cometh not to the end: because the wicked prevaileth against the just, therefore wrong judgment goeth forth.

Habakkuk 1:5 Behold ye among the nations, and see: wonder, and be astonished: for a work is done in your days, which no man will believe when it shall be told.

Habakkuk 1:6 For behold, I will raise up the Chaldeans, a bitter and swift nation, marching upon the breadth of the earth, to possess the dwelling places that are not their own.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "therefore", "torn", "pieces", "judgment", "cometh", "wicked", "prevaileth", and "against". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "torn", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "Why hast thou shewn me iniquity and..." into verse 5's "Behold ye among the nations and see...", so "therefore" and "torn" belong inside that flow. In Habakkuk context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "therefore" and "torn" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.